70 
The Shame of the Prodigal. 
derous Moor, who slays his guest with felon 
blow ? ” 
5.  Ass of the member of honey [Persian text]. So 
Mahbub’s expansion of the “ portmanteau ” text 
[Persian text] Khazk’asal. 
6.  Refers to a fable. An elephant had fallen into a 
pit, but managed to scramble out.  Seeing an ass 
going in that direction, he kindly warned him.  The 
ass disdainfully replied that he, being light, ran 
little danger.  Ay !  said the elephant, but small and 
without an hand, how will thou escape if thou dost 
fall ?  And in fact the ass fell, and perished misera-
bly.  [I think it far more likely that it refers to 
another fable, the following, told by Persians 
against Omar and Ayeshah who as the daughter of 
Abu Bekr is supposed by the Shiahs to have influ-
enced Mohammed’s conduct for evil.  There are 
numerous scandals regarding her.  Yet the more 
decent Persian tells the story of Zuleikah (Poti-
phar’s wife) and of Joseph. 
A certain dog meeting an ass, greeted him cheer-
fully.  “ Why this glee, brother dog ? ”  “ Passing 
near a dunghill (probably Abubekr’s house is in-
tended) I met a beautiful virgin named Ayeshah, 
who was as firm and as tight as it is impossible to 
believe.”  The ass trots off, all on fire, but suddenly 
falls headlong into a deep pit.  He is about to bear 
witness that there is no God but God, and Mo-
hammed is his prophet (i.e. about to resign himself 
to death), when he is lifted out by a woman’s hand 
and set on solid earth again.  “ O ass !  how dost 
thou dare awaken Ayeshah the promised wife of 
the Prophet of Allah ? ”  “ O Ayeshah !  I met a cer-
tain dog, who bore witness that thou wast tighter 
than it is possible to believe, the liar ! ”  “ Verily, o 
ass, but Omar hath passed by since then.”  Ed.] 
7.  The same phrase is used as in the story of 
this name in Alf Laylah wa Laylah. Possibly some